Spring Break

This year, we broke from tradition slightly and instead of heading south for the Mexican beaches, we veered more to the southwest and rented a cool little cabana in Carlsbad just blocks from the California coast. This allowed us to visit Alec & co. in Murrieta and Mojo & Dado, who are enjoying their 3rd winter as SoCal snowbirds! The drive is long (14 hrs!) and unless you plan for side trips to Moab or Las Vegas, it's a straight, boring shot with miles and miles of interstate for Hamp to work on his driving stamina! But the trek is always totally worth it when we get to spend time with family and enjoy the warm and sunny Southern California climate....

While most of the days were spent digging & building sand castles.... 

... these 2 Colorado boys definitely found time to get in the ocean!
The Pacific was freezing, but it didn't stop them from catching a few waves.

It should be noted that we brought the favorite family member with us on this trip - and Gabe was a great beach buddy! Dogs weren't really allowed on the public beach though, so most of his time was spent walking the boardwalk and meeting people and making friends! He was a big hit all over town and I'm just glad he didn't have to stay back and be lonely.

It was a quick trip - there & back in only 6 days - but we soaked up as much quality family time as we did sunshine.

We loved the sand, the surf, the simplicity of being on vacation and of course - the west coast sunsets!

Winter fun

Another great season of playing in the snow is in the books!
We managed to squeeze in half a dozen ski days at Sunlight this winter - not too shabby given both boys' basketball schedules and my overall exhaustion level. While a couple of those days were just the three of us, the best part is always skiing with friends!

a whole gaggle of Meeker boys on the mountain!

My favorite part of ski days at Sunlight?
Blue skies, fresh groomers, and a bloody mary on the deck!



When we weren't hauling off to the ski mountain, we managed to get up into the forest and play in the snow. A seasonal standard is the Marvine trail that ends at the yurt, a community snow hut and perfect snow shoe destination! While taking the whole crew is always fun, sometimes we enjoyed a hike up with just the mommas & the dogs!

my favorite snow shoeing partner!

My favorite part of hiking up Marvine?
Blue skies, fresh tracks, and champagne in the snow!



As much as I truly love my winter fun in the snow....
I am really starting to look forward to warmer weather!

Basketball

Winter season means time in a gym!

Hamp had a great season playing High School ball on both the Freshman team and the Junior Varsity team. He learned so much and improved his skills and knowledge of the game. I look forward to watching him play in high school - he really loves the sport and the team and it shows on the court. And of course, I love watching him play!

Sam stepped out of his comfort zone a little this year and played Rec League ball with his friends. While his team didn't have much success on the scoreboard, I saw amazing growth in how Sam played the game. Not only did the short season have him making some great rebounds and even a fast break once, but more importantly he showed amazing perseverance and commitment to getting better and was a great teammate!

Birthday boys

It was a long, fun birthday week this year!
Most momentous was perhaps Hamp getting his learner's permit.
Otherwise, we carried on with basketball games and gymnastics practices and work and school and friends and hiking... squeezing in dinner together to open cards & gifts and enjoy brownie sundaes for dessert!
So now Hamp is our designated driver and Sam is an official pre-teen.
And I couldn't be more in love with who they are or prouder of who they choose to be!

Womens March

Last Saturday, I marched.

I did not go to the march with feelings of great resolve or engagement, or a need to be heard (or with anything to even say!)

I did go to support my friend, who simply wanted to be a part of history and exercise her right to free speech and assembly.

Leading up to the event, I was often asked "Why are you marching?"

I was surprised that there were women my age who didn't see the point in making any public demonstration for equality and civil rights - they didn't have any personal experience being discriminated against so for them it was an unnecessary display.
I was also surprised at my own hesitation to feel inspired to rally.
But when some of the kids asked me incredulously why I would need to demonstrate, going so far as to add "Don't you already have equal rights?".... I realized how to reply:

I am marching to make sure equality is never taken for granted.

While the event was an interesting and positive experience, I question its effectiveness in creating real change. Perhaps it simply served as a catalyst for some people to be more conscientious in how they treat others. Perhaps it encouraged some people to vote, or campaign, or research, or help. Mostly I think it served as a visual for the community to see that there are many people who support inclusivity and empowerment not only for women, but for everyone.

And after some days' reflection, it is actually pretty satisfying to know that I have been a part of something bigger than myself.

Cousin Christmas

We spent a wonderful week in Mississippi with the Hightower family!
Despite flash floods and a broken collarbone (poor Uncle Taylor!) we managed to soak up every moment of good family time - whether over delicious meals or board games or at the movies or in the back yard! Christmas was sweet and easy and full of smiles and unexpected treasures. The best part was watching the cousins all together - the 5 big cousins have always been great playmates, but their love and care for baby Charlotte is the sweetest.

Thank you Yaya & Papa for a wonderful week!

in between moments

The main goal was simple: get to Denver, fly direct into New Orleans, and meet up with family.

But I didn't want to get so focused on our destination that we missed an opportunity to enjoy the trip.

So we made the most of our 2 day journey to Mississippi....

First, we got to Denver a day early to meet up with one of my dearest friends and her family from ATL who were coming to Colorado for a family ski vacation (so cool!). While I was sad I didn't get to play in the snow with them, we did all get to experience our first professional hockey game together! In one evening we became devoted CO Avalanche fans for certain! The stadium was full and despite the 2-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, we were totally impressed with the spectacle and the sport.



... and how did we not know before now that the mascot for our very own Colorado Avalanche is Bernie, the St. Bernard?!!!
We were so excited to meet him - and he confirmed our status as new Avs fans!


The next morning we saw our friends off to their epic Colorado ski vacation and had lots of time to kill... so we decided to wander downtown Denver. We were pleasantly surprised by several little highlights, including not one but two awesome candy stores, a traditional outdoor German Christmas Market, a sports store (with lots of tempting Avs paraphernalia!) and a quick stop for a chilly game of chess! We took the train from Union Station and with still more extra time before our flight, we made sure to stop by the free ice skating rink at the Denver airport!



The next morning, we had a few hours to walk around the French Quarter in New Orleans before meeting up with family! From Canal Street to Jackson Square and down Bourbon Street - the boys got just a glimpse of the amazing culture - sights, sounds, tastes and people - that makes this city so exciting and special!


There were so many moments in a 48-hour span of fortunate sweet reunions and city tours and planes, trains and automobiles that I just had to acknowledge how much I enjoy traveling with Hamp & Sam - they are always so open to new things and exploring new places (although not so much new foods!) and I appreciate how well they are able to live in the moment.

Here's to many more journeys in 2019!